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-- Discussion containing changed information from previous version are highlighted. --
000
FXUS61 KLWX 311418
AFDLWX

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
918 AM EST SAT JAN 31 2015

.SYNOPSIS...
HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH TONIGHT. LOW PRESSURE
WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST SUNDAY...AND CROSS THE REGION SUNDAY
NIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE WILL RETURN FOR THE FIRST HALF OF THE WEEK.

&&

.NEAR TERM /TODAY/...

HIGH PRES WILL BRING DRY CONDITIONS TO THE MID ATLANTIC.

WINDS WILL DIMINISH THROUGH THE DAY AS THE CENTER OF THE HIGH
PASSES JUST TO THE SOUTH. AS THE WINDS BACK TO THE SOUTH...TEMPS
WILL BEGIN A WARMING TREND...WITH MANY AREAS REACHING NEAR 30
TODAY...AND EVEN INTO THE MID 30S OVER CENTRAL VA.

&&

.SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH 6 PM SUNDAY/...

SFC HIGH NUDGES EAST AS AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE
SOUTHWESTERN US BECOMES ORGANIZED AND APPROACHES THE AREA FROM THE
WEST. 00Z MODEL SUITE IN DECENT AGREEMENT WITH THE PLACEMENT OF THE
LOW OVER KY BY 00Z MONDAY. DRY WX IN PLACE TONIGHT AS THE RIDGE
BECOMES MORE ZONAL IN NATURE. PLENTY OF SUBSIDENCE ALOFT WILL KEEP
SKIES MOSTLY CLEAR FOR THE FIRST HALF OF THE NIGHT...WITH INCREASING
CLOUD COVER FOR THE SECOND HALF AHEAD OF THE LOW. THUS GENERALLY
EXPECTING A QUICK DROP IN TEMPS THIS EVENING...WITH A MORE GRADUAL
TREND FOR THE LATTER HALF OF THE NIGHT.

INTRODUCED POPS INTO THE FAR NW AREAS BY DAYBREAK SUNDAY TO ACCOUNT
FOR LIGHT PCPN DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE ISENTROPIC LIFT. AS THE LIFT
PUSHES NORTH...ALONG WITH A SHORTWAVE ALOFT LIFTING ACROSS THE AREA
INTO PA...SPREAD THE POPS TO THE EAST...MAINLY ALONG THE MASON-DIXON
LINE. TEMPS BELOW FREEZING DURING THE MORNING SHOULD KEEP ANY PCPN
IN THE FORM OF SNOW...WITH UP TO A COUPLE TENTHS OF AN INCH ACCUM
PSBL.

FOR THE AFTN...PCPN SPREADS EAST AND SOUTH...WITH ONLY SOUTHERN MD
POSSIBLY STAYING DRY TILL SUN EVENING. P-TYPE FOR THE AFTN REMAINS
TRICKY AS THE TRACK OF THE 850MB LOW NOW BRINGS 850MB TEMPS TO
AROUND -2 DEGREES CELSIUS BY 18Z SUN...AND RIGHT NEAR FREEZING BY
00Z. BOTH THE NAM AND GFS BUFKIT SOUNDINGS INDICATING PCPN UP TO 18Z
AS SNOW...BUT WITH THE WARMER LAYER ALOFT SNEAKING IN...COULD SEE A
PERIOD OF SLEET MIXING IN...MAINLY OVER VA...AND EVEN POSSIBLY
TRANSITIONING TO ALL RAIN OVER CENTRAL VA. THE ONE THING OF NOTE IS
THAT WITH SFC TEMPS PUSHING ABV FREEZING AS WAA SETS UP WITH
SOUTHERLY FLOW...THE FREEZING RAIN THREAT DURING THE DAY LOOKS TO BE
MINIMAL. AREAS JUST NORTH OF BALTIMORE METRO COULD SEE HIGH TEMPS
JUST HIT FREEZING...BUT WITH COLDER 850MB TEMPS THERE...GENERALLY
SHOULD EXPECT SNOW AND NOT FZRA THRU 00Z MONDAY. FOR AREAS THAT
REMAIN ALL SNOW OR MOSTLY SNOW FOR SUN AFTN...COULD SEE UP TO ONE
INCH ACCUMULATION.

&&

.LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/...
THE SFC LOW PROGGED TO TRACK FM THE MID OH VLY TO THE NRN SXNS OF
THE CWFA SUN NGT. THIS SOLN ON THE SAME PAGE AS THE PAST DAY OR SO
OF FCST RUNS...AND REPRESENTS THE MORE NRN TRACK. THE H8 LOW ALSO
A LTL FURTHER N...INTO CENTRL PA. GIVEN THIS SOLN...THERE WL BE
NOTHING TO IMPEDE WARM AIR ALOFT FM OVERSPREADING CWFA.
THEREFORE...XPCT MELTING OF SOME IF NOT ALL HYDROMETEORS. THE KEY
WL BE SFC TEMPS. THATS PROVING A BIT TRICKIER...NOT IN THE OVERALL
TREND /WHICH WL BE NON-DIURNAL WARMING/ BUT IN PEGGING SPECIFICS
WRT SFC FRZG. AM NOT CONVINCED WE/LL BE ABLE TO SCOUR OUT ALL COLD
AIR IN THE VLYS. AREA OF CONCERN STRETCHES ACRS NRN MD AND IN THE
PTMC HIGHLANDS...AND INCLUDES THE BALT NRN BURBS/FREDERICK/I-81 N
OF OKV. HV HELD ONTO PTYPE OF ZR/S IN THESE AREAS...W/ A CHGOVER
TO RA S OF THERE. AM A BIT UNCERTAIN ABT LCL TEMPS FOR AN ADDTL
SLIVER INCL HOWARD/MONTGOMERY/LOUDOUN CNTYS...BUT DONT HV ENOUGH
HARD EVIDENCE TO PREVENT A FCSTD WARM-UP OVNGT.

POPS WL BE AT THEIR HIEST OVNGT WHEN THE LOW TRACKS NEARBY...FLLWD
BY A RELATIVELY PRONOUNCED CFP DURING THE MRNG COMMUTE. TEMPS SHUD
BE STDY/FALLING MOST OF THE DAY...TEMPERED A PINCH BY COMPRESSIONAL
WARMING IN NWLY FLOW. DUE TO THAT OFFSET...SHUD BE ABLE TO GET PCPN
AWAY FM DC BEFORE THERMAL CONDS SUPPORT SNOW. ELSW...WL BE SWITCHING
BACK TO A RA/SNW MODE AS CAA ALOFT WL BRING TEMPS BELOW FRZG ABV THE
SFC. WL ALSO HV THE RETURN OF UPSLP SHSN...BUT AT THIS POINT AM
KEEPING ONLY MINIMAL ADDTL ACCUMS.

DO NOT SEE SGFNT SNOW AMTS W/IN CWFA BASED ON CURRENT STORM
TRACK. HELD NRN MD/PTMC HIGHLANDS HIER THAN LTST RAW GDNC WUD
SUGGEST. CURRENT THINKING IS THAT FINAL TALLIES WUD BE BELOW
WATCH/WRNG VALUES. SINCE FCST ERRING ON THE HIGH SIDE AND THAT
DOESNT MEET WATCH CRITERIA...WL BE CONTG HWO MENTION ONLY.

CWFA WL HV A CPL DAYS UNDER HIPRES. MON NGT-TUE WL BE ABNORMALLY
COLD THO...AS H8 TEMPS BTTM OUT ARND -12C IN THE WAKE OF THE
DEEPING CSTL LOW. LTST MOS GDNC A TOUCH WARMER FOR MON NGT MIN-T.
THIS STILL SUGGESTS A LARGE SWATH OF CWFA /NRN MD AND W OF BLURDG/
WL START TUE IN THE SINGLE DIGITS...AND ALL BUT CENTRL VA WL BE
STUGGLING TO RISE ABV FRZG TUE. RETURN FLOW WL REACH AREA TUE NGT
THO...FOR A CONSIDERABLY WARMER WED.

THERE MAY BE A WEAK...MOISTURE-STARVED SYSTEM DROPPING SWD FM THE
NRN STREAM WED...WHICH CUD BE THE FOCUS FOR RIPPLES FM EWD THRU THE
END OF THE WK. HV KEPT SOME CLDCVR TO ACCOMPANY FNT...BUT REMOVED
PCPN. SIMILARLY...PRIND SUGGEST THE FNT WUD THEN SET UP FAR ENUF
AWAY FM /IE...SE OF/ CWFA THU-FRI. THREAT OF PCPN LOOKS MINIMAL.

&&

.AVIATION /14Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH SUN MORNING.

S FLOW GENERALLY 10 KTS OR LESS SUN. PCPN COULD IMPACT KMRB AS
EARLY AS 15Z...AS -SN...WITH PCPN BCMG MORE LIKELY FOR THE AFTN AT
ALL TERMINALS. -RA/PL FOR KCHO...-SN/PL ELSEWHERE. ANY SNOW ACCUMS
PRIOR TO 00Z MON WILL BE LESS THAN ONE INCH.

IFR CONDS LKLY SUN NGT AS LOPRES TRACKS ACRS AREA. ITS LOOKING MORE
LIKE A COLD RAIN FOR CHO/DCA. PTYPE AT BWI/IAD A LTL MORE
UNCERTAIN...BUT RA SHUD DOMINATE. MRB STANDS BEST CHC AT RECEIVING
WINTRY PCPN. CFP DURING MRNG PUSH. WL BE EXPERIENCING STRONG NWLY
FLOW MOST OF THE DAY.

VFR XPCTD MON NGT-WED.

&&

.MARINE...
ISUED AN MWS FOR LOW WATER ON THE WRN SHORE OF THE CHES BAY W/ LOW
TIDE THIS MRNG.

SCA IN EFFECT FOR ALL WATERS THRU 19Z...THEN JUST ON THE
CHESAPEAKE BAY AND SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE TIDAL POTOMAC TIL 23Z.
SUB-SCA CONDITIONS THEN TONIGHT THRU SUNDAY.

LOPRES WL TRACK JUST BARELY N OF THE WATERS LT SUN NGT...FLLWD BY
CFP MON MRNG. WINDS WL PICK UP ON MON. MIXED LYR WL EASILY SUPPORT
SCA...AND MAY EVEN SUPPORT THE RETURN OF GLW. WL ADD THAT POTL TO
SYN AND HWO. XPCT A GRDL DECREASE OF WINDS MON NGT. TUE AND WED
SHUD BE QUIETER AS HIPRES SETTLES OVRHD.

&&

.LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
DC...NONE.
MD...NONE.
VA...NONE.
WV...NONE.
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR
     ANZ530>534-537>543.
     SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 2 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON FOR ANZ535-
     536.

&&

$$
UPDATE...WOODY!
PRVS...AS/HTS